Clothes-line reel.



S 3-, RIDER. CLOTHES LINE REE APPLICATION FILED MAR. 03. 939,862.Patented Nov. 9. 1909. I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 ll 3. iii 1 *1w-- "mew. a.swan w. rmtoumomuvnens, wlswnnrou. v c.

S. S. RIDER. I 1 CLOTHES LINE REEL.

.APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 9, 190s.

- 939,862. Patented Nov. 9, 1909. I y A F 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I'IIIIIIIIlIIIII/l ML q/Vi hwooeo UNITED STATES ATENT (IFFICE.

SAMUEL S. RIDER, 0F BROOKLAND, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

CLOTHES-LINE REEL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. RIDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brookland, District of Columbia, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Clothes-Line Reels; and I do declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to the class of clothes line reels and has for itsobject to provide a device which is particularly designed for domesticuse and in which the line is automatically wound upon the spool or reelafter the line has been used.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of this classwhich is particularly simple in construction, cheap and easy tomanufacture and which occupies a very small space.

W'ith these objects in view my invention consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of the gearing.

My invention also consists in the novel construction and arrangement ofthe locking device.

My invention also consists in other novel features of construction andin combinations of parts all of which will be first fully described andafterward specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a clothes line reel constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig.2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of theperforated locking plate which is secured to one side of the reel. Fig.4 is an elevation of the device with one side of the cover removed. Fig.5 is a rear elevation of the reel, and Fig. 6 is a vertical sectionalview through the gearing taken on line 66 of Fig. 4.

Like numerals of reference 1nd1cate the same parts throughout theseveral figures in i Y which Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. March 9, 1908.

Serial No. 420,041.

9 which, as shown, is designed to receive suitable screws or otherfastenings 10 for the purpose of securing the device in position.

The reel 3 may be of any conventional form such as that shown in Fig. 5,and upon one side of the reel 3 I provide a perforated plate 11, havingtherein a central perforation 12 through which the shaft 13 of the reelpasses, and a series of perforations 14 spaced apart regularly as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 2. In the side plate 7 of the case or cover 2 Iprovide a single perforation 15 as shown in Fig. 2.

16 indicates a spring lever which as shown in Fig. 2 is pivotallymounted on the case or cover 2 at 17. A small knob 18 is carried on theend of the spring lever 16 and a small pin or projection 19 is carriedon the underside of the knob 18 on the spring lever 16 as shown indotted lines in Fig. 5. The perforation 15 in the side plate 7 of thecasing 2 is arranged in the path of the pin 19, while the perforateddisk 11 on the reel 3 is so arranged that the perforations 14 in saiddisk register with the perforation 15 in the side plate 7, in suchmanner that the pin or projection 19 on the spring lever 16 passesthrough the perforation 15 on the side plate 7 and enters theperforations 14 in the disk 11 as shown in Fig. 5, thus locking the reelagainst rotation. As shown in Fig. 3 the disk 11 is provided around theperiphery thereof with a series of tangs 20 which are driven into thereel 3 to secure the plate or disk ll thereon.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5 it will be seen that a partition plate 21 isarranged within the case or cover 2 which divides said case or coverinto two compartments 22 and 23. The reel 3 is housed within thecompartment 22 while the gearing 4 and spring 5 is lo cated within thecompartment 23. The shaft 13 of the reel 3 passes through the case orcover as shown in Fig. 5, and to said shaft 13 the inner end of thespring 5 is secured. Mounted on the shaft 13 and rotatable thereon is alarge gear wheel 24, said gear wheel having its teeth 25 extendingtransversely therefrom as clearly shown in Fig. 6. Mountedon thepartition plate 21, at a point between the periphery of the gear wheel24 and the center thereof, is a pinion wheel 26, said pinion having theusual form of teeth 27 as shown in Fig. 4. Secured to the face of'thereel 3 is a small pinion wheel 28, said Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

pinion 28 also having its teeth 29 extending transversely therefrom asclearly shown in Fig. 6. Referring to Fig. 5 it will be seen that thefree end 30 of the spring 5 is secured to the large gear wheel 2st atthe point 31. It will also be seen that a slot or opening 32 is formedin the front 8 of the case or cover 2 through which the line passes fromthe reel.

Having thus described the several parts of my invention its operation isas follows: The reel is first rotated by hand before the line is appliedthereto, which operation rotates the gear wheel 24 through the medium ofthe pinion wheels 26 and 28 thus winding up the spring 5. The line isthen secured to the reel by being passed through the perforation 35 andknot-ted, and the spring is then allowed to unwind. The unwinding of thespring rotates the reel and winds up the line thereon. When it isdesired therefore to use the line the same is withdrawn from the easingand the free end hooked or fastened to a wall or other object in aconvenient position to receive clothes or garments. When the line hasbeen used the free end thereof is simply unhooked and allowed to runfree, the spring having been wound up when the line was drawn from thereel, said spring immediately unwinds which rapidly winds the line uponthe reel and carries the same into position shown in Fig. 1. In order torelease the line from all strain from the spring when the same is in useand to prevent the line from sagging by reason of the weight of theclothes or garments thereon the look ing device 6 is provided; thespring lever 16 is moved into position shown in Fig. l

' which forces the pin or extension 19 thereon through the perforation15 in the side plate 7 and into one of the perforations 1 1 on the plateor disk 11 of the reel 3, thus securely locking the reel againstrotation in either direction. When the free end of the line has beenunhooked, as before stated, the knob 18 is grasped and the lever movedinto position shown in Fig. 2 which oaeration disengages the pinorextension 19 'rom the perforations 15 and 14 and allows the reel to berotated by the spring 5, and thus rapidly wind up the line.

By reason of the specific form and arrangement of the gearing 4, shownin Fig.

6, I am enabled to arrange the large gear wheel 24 concentrically withthe reel 3, and I am also enabled to arrange the spring 5 concentricallywith the reel 3, thus making it possible to employ a comparatively largereel within a small case or cover; while this arrangement at-the sametime renders the gearing extremely compact requiring a very small spacewithin the case or cover. By this construction it is at once apparentthat the device occupies a minimum amount of space rendering the sameextremely neat in construction of gearing I am also enabled to employgears stamped out of thin metal which would be practically useless werethe three gear wheels constructed with radially extending teeth, for thereason that by my construction the gears will not run out of mesh shouldthere be any lateral or wabbling movements thereof which would be liableshould the gears be stamped out of thin metal with radial teeth. Thisconstruction of gearing therefore allows me to employextremely light andinexpensive stamped gear wheels, thus reducing the cost of manufactureand minimizing the time required for assembling the device.

As shown in Fig. 5 I provide the reel 3 with a perforation 35 extendingtherethrough to receive the end of the line, said perforation beingcountersunk at 33 forming a shoulder 84, the countersunk portionreceiving a knot at the extreme end of the line, the shoulder 34preventing said knot from passing through the perforation, thusproviding a simple and secure means for fastening the line to the reel.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. A device of the character described comprising a suitable casing, areel carried therein, a partition plate within said casing dividing thesame into two compartments, said reel being housed in. one compartment,mechanism for rotating said reel, said mechanism comprising a coilspring having one end thereof mounted concentrically with said reel, agear wheel mounted concentrically with said reel to which the free endof said spring is connected, said gear wheel having its teeth extendingtransversely from the periphery thereof, an intermediate gear wheelmounted on said partition plate, said intermediate gear wheel havingregularly extending teeth in mesh with the trans: versely extendingteeth of said first men tioned gear wheel, a pinion wheel carried onsaid reel and mounted concentrically therewith, said pinion wheel havingits teeth extending transversely therefrom and in mesh with saidintermediate gear wheel, substantially as described.

2. A device of the character described comprising a suitable casing, areel housed therein, mechanism for rotating said reel housed in saidcasing, said mechanism comprising a spiral spring, a gear wheel to whichone end of said spring is connected, said gear Wheel being mountedconcentrically with said reel, an intermediate gear wheel associatedwith said first mentioned gear wheel and in mesh therewith, saidintermediate gear wheel being mounted at a point between the peripheryof said gear wheel and its center, and a pinion Wheel carried on saidreel and mounted concentric ally therewith, said pinion wheel being inmesh with said intermediate wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

SAML. S. RIDER. Witnesses CATHERINE E. BRUMBAUGH, G. M. BRUMBAUGH.

